Monday, March 24, 2008

Kravitz Design

I have been watching CBS Sunday Morning for years and years. That and The Sunday New York Times are part of a ritual. Because the show comes on early, I often switch it on the bedroom TV from deep under the covers. And truth be known, all I "see" of the show is hearing the clarion of trumpets in the theme song. And I usually read the Sunday Times all week long.I managed to be awake for part of this past Sunday's show, airing March 23. The part I saw was about Lenny Kravitz.I like him. I like his music. So I woke up to watch.The music segment was about him launching a new album/CD. Cool. The interview took place in his home. I think this home was in Miami or New York (he has several homes as people with money and a job that takes them traveling often do).The place was striking. This was no MTV crib. The first thing you saw as you entered was this huge mural portrait of a woman with a huge afro. Lenny told us it is a portrait of his mother Roxie Roker, and that he always uses a picture of her in some form in every space he lives in and decorates. To remind you, Roxie Roker played Helen on the 70's TV show The Jeffersons. She passed away in 1995 at age 66, succumbing to cancer.Deeper into the space, one viewed iconic furniture, moody lighting, and a grand sense of space. The place exudes sensuality, without being sleazy. It looks boho luxe, visually vamped to the nth degree.The home was remarked upon, with Lenny talking about his REAL passion, interior design! Okay so many of you bloginistas already know this. He talked about his design firm Kravitz Design (based in Miami), and how they just finished a bar in the Delano Hotel in Miami. So I toddled to the Delano web site, and alas no pictures.So I went to Kravitz Design dot com, and there is nothing there but a bland white page with a small gray typeface. Well one site leads to another blog, so I tried to find anything about Kravitz Design, and only came up with press release chat from 2005 when a soft opening of the firm was announced.So what up Lenny? The firm is in full swing, staffed and producing projects. Why the slack with showing the fruits of your labor? Is it meant to be exclusive? Do you and the firm pick and choose your clients?After much digging, I found these few photos from the New York Times. They are three years old, but still intriguing.Since I was preoccupied in 2005 with other things, and The New York Times had stopped delivery to my city, the only visual vamping I was doing involved picking up decor mags in airports, and picking up the pieces of the life of my city.I apologize for the lag. In 2005 I didn't even know the word blog, while so many of you already had design/decor blogs that were causing a groundswell in the industry. I'm late, but I'm exuberant. And since blogs are read at first mostly by its author, and those who love the author, we won't mind showing (and archiving) this very late breaking information about Kravitz Design. For all you other smarty pants, please share your more current information.Also oddly missing in all inter net files, are photos of Roxie Roker. I thought I'd find a cool one of her from the 70's. Nothing, but one little black and white portrait that looks like a fuzzy year book photo, or the same group shot with the entire cast of The Jeffersons. The show ran for ten years, and Roxie and the hubs, TV producer Sy Kravitz, were a couple-about-town. It's odd that no PR photos show up on any site about film or television, other than the aforementioned.The top two photos are in the Miami home of Lenny Kravitz, the next two are in his New Orleans home. He designed and decorated the spaces.

2 comments:

Hi, this is my first time commenting you. I found your blog through RMS. I have enjoyed your writing and your ideas :)I have always LOVE lenny! I think his rooms are stunning and I am quite impressed with the black and white room. I would have never thought of that. I am a beach Mom in Florida and really go for a french country/beachy cottage look (a little eclectic, to say the least).Thanks for the great read and sharing ideas and pics!!Kathy

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